Hand canceling machine



C. D. WOLFE.

HAND CANCELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30. 1921.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAITI) D. WOLFE, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ARDEN W. 'MOORE, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

HAN D CANCELING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

Application filed April 30, 1921. Serial No. 465,728.

T all whom'z't may concern."

-Be it known thatI, CLAUD D. WVoLFE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Little Rock, in the county of Pulaski and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand Canceling Machines, of which the following is y a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. 7

This invention relates to machines for canceling stamps, though not restricted thereto, and particularly to a hand canceling machine.

The general object of this invention is to provide a very simple mechanism for canceling stamps by the printing of date marks or other indicia upon the stamp to be canceled or which maybe used for other purposes than mere stamp canceling, and particularly to provide a mechanism of this character wherein the canceling roller is oscillatably mounted so as to conform to irregularities or unevennesses in packages, letters and the like.

A further object is to provide means whereby the stamp may be adapted to be used either with a pad or with an ink font contained within the handle of the canceling device, and in this latter case to provide means whereby the ink may be caused to flow onto the inking roller of the canceling device or stopped from flowing thereon in a very simple manner.

Another object isto provide a canceling device of this character which is very simple, which can be cheaply made, and which has been found particularly effective for canceling the: stamps on parcel post packages.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in sec tion of one form of my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view thereof,

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention showing the manner in which the device is to be used;

Figure 4: is a longitudinal sectional view of the ink containinghandle;

Referring to these drawings, and particularly to Figure 1, wherein one form of my invention is illustrated, it will be seen that the canceling device comprises an approximately U-shaped frame or yoke 10 formed to provide two arms 11. Each arm is angular with respect to its length, and at the end of each arm there is provided aniapproximately triangular aperture 12, while at the angular portion of each arm there is provided the; elongated slot 13. The cross bar of the arm is perforated for engagement by the threaded rod 14 of a handle 15, assuming that a solid handle is to be used, and the canceling roller inked upon a pad. The canceling roller 16 may be made of any suitable mate-rial and, :has upon its face raised canceling indicia 17. This roller may be made of brass, rubber or any desired composition, and is mounted upon a'trans verse" axle 18 which passes through the openings 12 and projects slightly beyond these openings. An inking roller 19 is also provided which is mounted upon the axle 20 which is disposed through the openings 13. The ends of the axles 18 and 20 are perforated for the passage of rings 21, and springs 22rare attached to these rings and act to urge the rollers toward each other. The roller 19 is made either wholly or partially of felt so that it will retain a supply of ink and apply the ink to the face of the printing or canceling roller 16.

The form of the invention which I have just described is adapted to be inked, as illustrated in Figure 1, where the roller 19 is shown as disposed against an ink pad. By rolling the roller a few times against the ink pad, sufiicient ink is delivered to the roller so that it will be sufficient for a days work. Figure 3 illustrates the manner of holding the device when canceling stamps. It will be noted that the axle 18 can shift within the triangular openings 12 so that the printing roller can thereby shift and thus cause it to conform to the irregularities and unevennesses of packages.

In Figure 3, 1 show another form of the device, wherein the ink is contained in a font or reservoir and fed to the inking roller as desired. In this construction the yoke supporting the rollers and the rollers themselves are the same as previously illustrated and the same reference numerals have therefore been applied thereto, the handle, however, being different in that the handle 15 is hollow. Disposed within this handle is a tubular font Q3 interiorly screw-threaded at one end, as at 24, and at its end adjacent the rollers this font is provided with a head 25 having an exteriorly screw-threadthis nipple is screwed into the cross bar of the yoke 10, this duct willdischarge ink upon the inking roller 19. The discharge of ink upon this inking roller is controlled by a needle valve 28 which has screw-threads engaging the screw-threads of a bore 29 extending through thehead at right angles.

to the duct 27 and intersecting this duct. When this valve is closed, it prevents the passage of ink, and when the valve is opened it permits the passage of ink to an extent depending upon the re-opening of the valve. At itsopposite end the tubular font 23 is closed bya head 30 constituting a valve casing and formed with a valve chamber 31 and a bore 32. vThis bore 32 is closed by a rubber valve ring 33 supported upon a valve: stem 34 which extends into the chamber 31 and is provided with a head 35. A spring 36 bears upon the floor of this chamber 31 and against the head and urges the valve to a closed position. Thisis an air inlet valve, assuming that the needle.-

valve; 28 is opened, and then if this air valve 33 be opened by pressing upon the head 35, air may flow into the font and ink will flow out of the font onto the roller. When this air'valve is closed, however, it is obvious that no ink will flow from the font. In order to ink the inking roller 19, it is only necessary to keepv the air valve open while the rollers are being rotated a few times. Then the air valve may be closed and sufficient ink will have been deposited upon the inking roller for the days work.

p This canceling device has been found in actual practice to be extremely useful in canceling parcel post stamps and it is much more expeditious than the regulation hand canceling machine now in use. This device is particularly effective for rapid cancelation of stamps on parcel post packages for the reason that the canceling roller, by reason of its loose mounting, is capable of conforming to the irregularities and unevennesses of parcel post'packages. Furthermore, the inkingroller serves to keep the canceling stamp or roller inked without the necessity, as is present with the ordinary hand canceling device, of continuously pressing-the hand stamp against an inking pad and then applying it to the package. With this inking roller it is only necessary to run the inking roller over-the stamp to cancel it.

While I have designed the device for use as it might be used for other purposes.

I claim 1. In a hand stamp canceling machine, a

yoke having a handle, a printing roller rotatably mounted in the yoke and having lim- VVhen and springs resisting said limited movement of the roller and yieldingly holding it in one position, and an inking roller mounted upon the yoke and engaging the printing roller 2. A hand stamp of the character described comprising a yoke having a handle, the yoke'being formed to provide two spaced arms, the arms being angular but parallel to each other, the arms at their free ends being formed with approximately triangular apertures and approximately at the angle of said arms with longitudinally elongatedapertures, a printing roller having an axle disposed in the first named apertures, the axle being movable in said apertures, an-inking roller having an axle disposed in the elongated apertures andmovable therein, and springs engaging the axles of the printing and inking rollers and urging them toward each other.; i

3. In a hand stamp canceling machine, a yoke having a handle, the yoke being formed to provide two spaced arms, the arms adja cent the handle with longitudinally elongatedapertures, a printing roller having an axle disposed in the first named apertures and smaller in cross section than the area of said apertures whereby the roller may have movement therein, an inking roller having an axle disposed in the elongated apertures and movable longitudinally therein, and springs engaging the axles of the printing and inkling rollers and urging them toward each other.

4. A hand stamp canceling machine comprising a yoke and a handle, a printing roller mounted upon the outer end of the yoke, an inking roller mounted upon the yoke between the printing roller and the handle and engaged with the printing roller, a tubular font disposed within the handle and having a head at its end adjacent the inking roller,

said head having a screw-threaded nipple the chamber-and head on the outer end of the stem, and a spring disposed within the chamher and bearing against the head and urgin the valve to its closed position. 7

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

CLAUD D. WOLFE. 

